


Come in with the rain

by venomousOctopus



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: M/M, Middle School, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 10:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1184967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venomousOctopus/pseuds/venomousOctopus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Iori Shiro had met Inumuta Houka was at a train station.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come in with the rain

**Author's Note:**

> After reading the Kill la Kill Elite Four LN excerpts that give a little info on their backstories, I was tempted to write this after learning Inumuta rebelled and lived on his own starting from Middle School. I thought it would be a nice contrast for him to meet Iori, who being the nephew of the head butler of Satsuki, would probably be pretty coddled and sheltered throughout most of his life. Also Inumuta/Iori is a really good pairing that I wish more people on the western side of the fandom would write/draw for.  
> Think of all the cliched rich sheltered girl/bad boy romantic chick flicks set to Taylor Swift soundtracks as you read this and also, Happy Valentine's Day!

The first time Iori Shiro had met Inumuta Houka was at a train station. Satsuki and Nonon had to remain behind to go to a board meeting with their parents, leaving Iori to go home alone. It was the first time in all his life, or of his life that he could remember, that he was not accompanied by his surrogate sisters, and predictably, he had gotten lost. He was 13 at the time, definitely old enough to be able to use the trains by himself, and he does theoretically know how to. Unfortunately for him, the theory was not enough.

He stood on the platform of an unknown station, looking at his ticket and around the area to try to spot a map or someone to ask for directions. The station was far away from the main districts of Tokyo, and there were not many people here besides a few scattered people sitting around. Iori would ask them for directions but every time he tried to meet their eye, they shot him a glare. There was no one he could go to unless he exited the station, and with his one ticket, that was not an option. 

That was when another teenager, slightly tall, glasses-wearing and sporting a tacky hoodie that was far too big for him, stepped onto the platform. He gave a quick glance to Iori and looked back to where the train would land. After a few minutes of steeling himself, knowing full-well this might be his best and only chance, the blonde tugged on the other’s hoodie, almost visibly shaking. 

“…Yes?” The teenager asked, and Iori noticed he had blue hair. Hm.

“Er-“

“Do you need something?”

“I-I was j-just wondering u-um. Do you know which way the Murasaki intersection i-is? I w-was supposed to get off there but I-uh”

“This station is just past that intersection, you are aware, yes?”

“U-uh”

“Did you miss your stop?”

Iori nodded somewhat sheepishly.

The other teen sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “Is that your final stop or are you going to transfer to another train once you are on there?”

“T-transfer”

“I see. Well, you are on the wrong platform if you would like to return to Murasaki. The trains here go North while you should be on the South-bound train.”

“O-okay. Alright, thank you”

Iori gave a quick bow and scuttled off to the stairs that would lead him to the other platform. As he walked down the steps, feeling slightly more confident about his task at hand, he noticed he was not alone.

“Uh-“

“I have no doubt you will most likely get lost again, especially since that station is quite large, so I see it fit to assist you”

“U-um. Thanks?” On one hand, the blonde was grateful for the other’s help; on the other hand, he could feel his cheeks getting warmer from embarrassment. Even without his surrogate sisters he needed the help of someone else, ugh.

The other simply nodded and followed the smaller boy to the other platform. The two were silent during the duration of waiting for the train, getting on it, the ride to Murasaki and it was only until they were transferring over to the other train did Iori see fit to speak again.

“D-Don’t you have your own place to go?”

“Hm?”

“I m-mean…Why are you going out of your way to do this? It must be a bother, isn’t it?”

The blue-haired teenager looked down at Iori for a second before shrugging and leading them both to where they needed to go.

“U-uh, h-hey!”

“What is it?”

“I mean it, why are you doing this?”

After a moment of silence, the other simply muttered: “I’m bored”

“Y-you’re doing this because you’re _bored?_ ”

“Yes, is there something wrong with that? You will still get home, so does it matter?”

“D-don’t you have a curfew? Won’t your parents get worried?”

The other teenager said nothing and continued walking, stepping into the train and giving a hard stare to the blonde to prompt him to get on before the train door closes. With a hop, Iori got on the train and found it more crowded than expected, forcing him against the other’s chest, though the taller teenager showed no reaction to such a thing.

“This is so- you don’t have to do this much for me, really…”

“You say that but you do really require my assistance, don’t you? Is this your first time alone in the city?”

“I- I do not see how that’s relevant”

“If you knew you would be left alone like this, did you not think of preparing yourself? Walking in head-first into a city such as this is extremely foolish of you”

“I-It wasn’t by choice! Usually my friends are with me but their parents needed them today!”

“Ah- I see. Well, even then, you should have tried to pay more attention so you would not have this much trouble. How old are you?”

“I-I know…and I’m 13”

“Huh. You seemed younger to me”

“Thanks” The blonde drawled, his eyes narrowed slightly.

The boy chuckled lightly, smiling for the first time Iori had known him. “I would not have believed you were my age, to be quite honest.”

“Y-yes, I know I’m small”

“Well that is not the exact reason but yes, yes you are.”

Once they were off the station, the teenager and Iori hopped off the train, the platform being not nearly as crowded as the intersection but still populated by many passengers, coming and going through the trains. Though unlike the station Iori had gotten lost at, the other people seemed far more put-together: sporting designer suits and blazers, walking with a phone in hand and a poised, business-like stride. The blue-haired teen looked around in slight curiosity and turned back to the other, but before he could ask anything, the blonde spoke.

“T-thank you. F-for everything, really.”

“It is no problem of mine. I take it you can make it back to your place from here?”

Iori nodded, and so the teen took that as a cue to leave. As he turned around and took a step, he heard an attempt at shouting which forced him to look back.

“U-um!”

“Yes?”

“Er- what’s your name?”

The blue-haired teen seemed surprised by the question, but he gave a smile when he answered. “Houka. Inumuta Houka”. He gave a final nod before leaving the station, getting on the train without looking back.

It was at that moment that Iori decided he needed to learn more- grow up, not rely on his friends so much, and maybe, just maybe, he could be as confident and aware like the other teenager was.

XXX

The second time Iori Shiro had met Inumuta Houka was not by coincidence, but rather, of his own doing. It has been a week or so since that fateful day at the train, and he had taken the opportunity to try to navigate and pay attention to the city more in the case that he is forced to wander around alone again. Today, he was also alone by choice, telling Satsuki and Nonon that he had errands to run, and though the oldest of them all did not look convinced, the ebony-haired girl did leave him alone to his own devices. 

He had managed to figure out what station he had ended up at last time, and went out of his way to get there once more. He knew the chances of running into the other was not that high: what if he was sick? What if he already got on a train? What if that station is not even his regular stop and he was also there by coincidence that day? Nonetheless, once the blonde had gotten off the station, he ignored the other patrons loitering the area and sat down on a bench. 

It took him all his will power to not smile too much when he spotted the other teenager again, sporting a different coloured, but still tacky, hoodie. He instead stood up and shuffled over to the other before tugging at his sleeve like last time.

“Huh- Oh. It’s you. Did you get lost again?”

It was at this point that Iori realized he did not exactly think this through. 

“U-um. No”

“Then is there a particular reason you are here?”

“I-I just wanted to thank you. Again. Inumuta, right?”

Inumuta blinked and looked down at the boy, a look of quick surprise flashing over his face before it disappeared just as quickly. “So you travelled all this way again for the slim chance of meeting me once more, just to thank me?”

“U-uh”

A smile spread over his face. “Interesting. You are an interesting one. I don’t think I know your name, what is it?”

“I-Iori Shiro”

“Alright, Iori. You are welcome. I hope you know how to get back on your own this time, though”

“I do! I took your advice, don’t worry. I am 13, I should know better, r-right?”

“Huh. So you did.”

The two stood in silence for a bit, both not knowing exactly what to do with the situation. The taller of the two examined the other the entire time, as Iori got more and more fidgety and nervous as the time went on. Eventually Inumuta just sighed and unzipped his hoodie, which was zipped up almost to his nose.

“Did you actually want to do something or did you just come here to thank me?”

“W-what?”

“You can’t have taken the time out of your day just to say ‘hi’, yes? Would you like to go somewhere?”

“U-um”

“I suppose you have not changed that much.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head before leaning down to face the blonde. “Iori, would. You. Like. To. Go. Somewhere?”

That was apparently all it took to snap the smaller out of his nervousness, as he nodded eagerly. “Yes, alright. Um…what were you thinking?”

“What do you like?”

“I don’t actually know a lot of places”

“You are hopeless.” A glare from the blonde. “Fine, how about a café? There should be a relatively cheap one around this station”

That was also the first time Iori Shiro had really talked to Inumuta Houka. Though he was nervous, and the other was not really adept at keeping the conversation going, they found the company to be pleasurable. Inumuta had talked of various places in Tokyo, all the stations, shops of note, places to watch out for, and Iori found that despite living here almost his whole life, he really did not know that much. It was only after about an hour or so of conversation that both realized that neither knew anything about each other, not really, and any questions regarding that topic was cut off by the ringing of Iori’s cellphone.

“Yes?”

“Shiro, oh thank the heavens, you are alright! Are you fine? Where are you? Did you get lost?”

“Uncle, I’m fine. Really, I just had…things to do”

“It’s almost 2 hours from when you usually get home, Shiro. The young lady of the house said you were on an errand but I do not recall giving you any, so I am glad I reached you. Where are you?”

“I said I’m fine, Uncle. I’ll be home soon.” He shut off the cellphone with that final word and looked back at Inumuta. “I suppose I have to go now.”

“Ah. Well, it was nice. I never really do get a chance to speak with others my age”

Before Iori could ask why that was, his cell phone blared again, and he reluctantly picked it up, reassuring his uncle that yes, he left of his own choice, no, he is not in trouble, and yes, he will be back in at least 30 minutes. As soon as the conversation was done, he stood up, bowing to the other teenager for his quick leave.

“Wait- Iori.”

“Huh?”

“Would you perhaps like to make this a weekly event?”

The blonde nodded eagerly, a smile spreading over his face at the prospect. “Here, yes? Every Thursday?”

“Yes, we can meet up in the train station, if you’d like.”

“Alright. Okay, Inumuta, see you next week then!” Iori gave a happy smile and waved at the other as he ran off to the station, leaving the other to his own drink and devices. At that point, Inumuta did not really know why he made that offer. Perhaps because he really was bored of his life, perhaps because his mother’s e-mails of him needing a ‘physical’ friend affected him more than he thought, but perhaps most of all, he thought the other interesting.

Inumuta Houka needed to know more about him.

XXX

The first time Iori Shiro and Inumuta Houka had kissed was not born from some grand display. Of confessions under cherry blossoms and heartfelt declarations of how they had always loved each other. Instead, it was after one of their get-togethers, which, after a couple months, had gotten more frequent and now took place in locations that were not just the dingy café near a sketchy train station. It was also the first time Inumuta had seen Iori’s house.  
Iori had wanted to go to Shibuya; after hearing the other talk about the area in great detail, the two decided to go despite knowing full-well that the famous district would be bustling with people, especially after school. Despite that, the smaller of the two found himself drawn to the various stores, selling a variety of clothing items that were all high-end REVOCS wear: beautiful, flattering but stupidly expensive. Luckily for him, the two had been planning this outing for a while, and Iori had prepared himself accordingly.

“You know, Iori, you always seem to have quite a large allowance”

“Huh-“ The blonde broke his gaze from a nice black winter jacket. “-Oh. Yes. I do”

“I do not think I’ve ever asked you where you get them”

“From my family, of course”

“Well, that’s obvio- ah, nevermind. Are you planning to purchase that?”

“Well, I do find it nice, but do you think it fits me?”

The taller teen shrugged. He still seemed to wear nothing but hoodies, so among the stylish youth of downtown Shibuya, he stuck out like a sore thumb, not that he really cared.

“Right, you are not exactly the right person to ask.”

Iori examined the jacket for a bit more, wandered around the store, went back to the jacket, brought it in front of himself as he examined it in the mirror, and checked the other sizes available before he decided to buy a simple white scarf to go with the school uniform he was wearing.

Inumuta almost wanted to slap him, and this was their first store.

They spent hours in this manner, Iori spending dozens of minutes examining a single item before deciding to either buy it, leave it, or buy something completely different. He mostly did the last of the three, so he had built up a small collection of little accessories, most of which he wore with a sense of accomplishment. He had never really thought of what he should wear, due to his uncle’s collection of formal wear and the uniforms assigned to every school he went to, but with this outing, he had understood a little of the appeal. Unfortunately, Inumuta hadn’t.

“Inumuta, you should wear this.” Iori brought out a pair of extremely tight white pants. “I think it would suit you”

“Iori, that looks more akin to a torture device. You do realize I need blood circulation, yes?”

“Oh, stop being dramatic! It looks nice. Why don’t you try it on?”

At the blonde’s insistence, Inumuta had indeed, tried it on. He had worn it for a total of a single minute before he decided he hated it and returned it to the clerk. 

“Well, it looked nice, I think”

“If you can find something that is as comfortable as what I wear now, I will be happy to purchase it”

With a roll of his eyes, Iori left the store, and despite his many attempts at finding something in the other stores they visited, Inumuta had not purchased a single clothing item during the duration of the trip. When the sun was finally setting and the buzzing of Iori’s phone got more and more frequent, the two decided to leave it for the day. With how much Iori purchased, it was ludicrous for him to carry everything back, so Inumuta had followed him to his manor, and only noticed he had never seen or even asked about what the blonde’s house was like after they were already standing outside the gates.

“Kiryuin Manor? Wait- are you-”

“What? Oh, no no no, my uncle is just their head butler, see? I live with him”

“Nevertheless, no wonder you have such a high allowance. I really should have noticed earlier, especially when I took you to your station”

“Well, um. It doesn’t matter that much, does it?”

The gates opened automatically, and Iori had walked in a little before he quickly turned around and stopped the other from entering any further. “This place is- it’s fine, Inumuta, I can get the rest myself”

“Alright.”

“Thank you for taking me, really. It was fun.”

“You really got into the fashion, didn’t you?”

“I-I may have, yes.”

“Next time, we are going to Akihabara, and you are not allowed to complain about how much time I spend, alright?”

The blonde laughed lightly and nodded. He stared at the other for a quick moment before leaning up to kiss him, turning around to return to his home just as fast before either thought too long about what he did. When Iori was behind the doors of the manor, Inumuta was finally hit with the realization of the kiss and blushed, moving a hand to zip up his hoodie. What he touched, however, was not the cold metal, but the soft white scarf Iori had bought at the beginning of the trip. Of course he would forget to take it off Inumuta before he left, of course.

As he felt the fabric of the scarf, he smiled softly to himself and brought it up to his nose, giving one final look at the house before leaving for his own home.

XXX

The first time Iori Shiro had sneaked out to Inumuta Houka’s apartment was almost one year after they had originally met. They have been, well, ‘dating’ as they say for a while now. Though as two 14 year olds inexperienced in the area, they have not really changed much of what they were doing except kissing each other sometimes. After the trip to Shibuya a couple months ago, the two made it a point to ask each other about their home lives. Iori learned that Inumuta had been living alone since before they even met, thus explaining why he seemed so confident in navigating the city. Inumuta learned Iori was quite close to his uncle and the daughters of the Jakazure Transportation Corp and the Kiryuin Conglomerate, though he was less of a ‘friend’ and more of a little brother to them. Neither of them knew about his involvement with Inumuta, and he meant to keep it that way, saying it would be troublesome if they found out. Inumuta had nodded in understanding, saying he was used to having strict parents though he didn't say any more on the matter.

Iori had walked home with the other multiple times, but it was a much rarer occasion for Inumuta to be the one being dropped off. The only reason he had even seen his apartment the first time was because the blonde had insisted, threatening to ‘accidentally’ spill hot chocolate on Inumuta’s phone if he didn’t show him it. The apartment was small and had three plain rooms, a bathroom and a tiny kitchen. Wires were littered about everywhere, as well as printed out documents and empty bowls of ramen. Iori had expected it to be messy, really, but walking into the apartment still kicked off a natural familial instinct to clean it up a bit. Later visits were much the same, with Iori wanting to desperately clean the place but Inumuta kissing his forehead and shooing him away before he ever gets a chance to.

He finally got a chance to do so when one night Iori had showed up on Inumuta’s doorstep at 10pm, holding a small bag of his sleeping wear and looking to the side. 

“What are you doing here?! Are you not aware of how dangerous this neighbourhoo- in fact, this whole city is, at night?”

“I-I…Inumuta, can I stay with you for tonight? Please?”

Inumuta didn’t have the heart to say no, and though he was curious about the exact reason for the other coming into his apartment this late at night, he did not question him about it until after he was in, changed, and settled.

“So….Iori, is there a reason you are here?”

“I. I needed to get out of my house for a bit.”

“Is that so? Is there anything that happened?”

Iori did not say anything, too shaken about whatever it was he saw to do anything besides stare down at the cup of tea the other teenager had prepared for him. Eventually, he shuddered and sighed, murmuring while bringing the cup to his lips.

“Lady Satsuki- a-and The CEO of REVOCS…I- how long has she been…” He shook his head, a look of pure disgust falling over his face as he clasped a hand over his mouth. “I- I. I can’t believe-“

Inumuta made sure to not let the other speak any more on the matter, despite every single cell in his body screaming out for more information on it. He knew the other was too distraught and will probably remain so for the rest of his life, and it was not worth it to him to continue prodding at the topic any further. He had shuffled closer and placed an arm around the blonde’s shoulder, bringing him closer and letting him breath in and out, soothingly rubbing his back as he did so. After Iori had finally calmed down, Inumuta agreed to let him stay the night, and prepared the bed to accommodate them both. 

This was also the first night Inumuta had truly spoken of his father, quietly recalling his own childhood while Iori nestled up against his chest under the blankets. He told the other of how he was never home, and always expected his mother and himself to be the shining examples of morality and perfection. Of how his mother and father constantly emailed and called him even with the many changes and misdirections he had planted on his own info. Despite the topic, it did bring Iori to the first and only smile he had during the entire night.

“…Thank you for telling me”

“I did think it was about time you knew, really.”

Iori had shaken his head. “It must have been hard for you, huh? Living alone at 13. Remember how I couldn’t even get home back then? And you lived alone…”

“Really, it was just my circumstances, Iori.”

“You’re amazing… Houka. I’m glad I got lost back then”

And with that, the blonde had blushed heavily and almost shoved his face back into Inumuta’s chest, though the other did not seem too bothered by it as he instinctively wrapped his arms around the small boy. 

“Iori…no, Shiro.” He kissed the top of Iori’s head. “I am glad to have met you as well.”

The two had said nothing past that point, and simply rested in each other’s arms, quickly drifting off to sleep. Despite the blaring of Iori’s phone starting at almost 5am the next morning, both had decided it was one of the best sleep either ever had. Though it was their first time calling each other ‘Houka’ and ‘Shiro’, as well as spending a night together at Inumuta’s apartment, it was definitely not the last.

XXX

The first time Iori Shiro had ‘spent the night’ with Inumuta Houka, in the biblical sense, was almost two years after they had met. It was the night of the latter’s birthday, whom surprisingly, had a later birthday than the blonde.

They were both 15 at the time, and graduation from Middle School was around the corner, at least for Iori. Inumuta had dropped out of public education a long time ago, and made his living off stocks and managed to survive and evade the law by constantly rewriting his own documents. However, he was getting increasingly bored of what he considered the 'easy life', and had confessed to Iori of his dreams of making a mark on society, of toppling down large corporations and show his own strength to them. The sheltered boy had expressed concern about it, obviously, and urged him to not do such a thing. It was another one of those nights where Iori had sneaked out to his apartment, this time, bringing a cake and some clothing he had made by his hands (after the various trips to Shibuya and other shopping districts and failing to find any sort of clothing Inumuta had liked, he took it upon his own hands to try and learn how to make something for him). The two were lying side-by-side as they talked in the dark.

“Houka, please, why do you want to do that? Do you know how dangerous it is?”

“I am aware of the risks, Shiro, that is why I would plan out everything beforehand. I have already hacked into official records, this can not be harder, can it?”

“But- Houka. Why?”

The taller teen had looked up at the ceiling, and sighed heavily. “…I have a bigger destiny than this, I know it. I feel as if I do not have this talent to live in an apartment all my life, yes? I am but a Middle Schooler right now. If I can do this much at this age….what can I accomplish when I get older? I can not wallow in the same tasks every day. I need to test myself- That is why-“

“That is so extremely foolish of you”

“Shiro, did you not hear anything I said?”

“Yes, yes I did. Houka, I know your skills. I’ve seen your email response program. I’ve seen you hack and change around my information at my school like nothing. But- why go against them? With a talent like that, you can easily land a good position”

“I do not want to land a good position, I want to- It is extremely hard to explain. Shiro, did you not ever think once that you wanted your own life to be more interesting? After Middle School, what will you do? Go to a prestigious High School? Get above-average grades and enroll in a prestigious University through the combination of your family status and your marks? What do you wish to do, Shiro?”

“I-“

“See, you would not understand. I have something to strive for, I want to make a difference in this world. I do not want to be like my father, Mr. Deputy of the police department, constantly striving to make a difference but so naïve as if to think he can in such a position. If I wanted to affect the world, I have to by my own hands.”

“Houka…”

“Shiro, I do love you, but can we really live like this forever?”

“….” The older boy had said nothing, and wordlessly brought the other closer to him to leave him with a soft kiss. “I… No. But do we really have to talk like this right now? Do you really have to think logically right now?”

After a moment of silence, Inumuta had shaken his head, and returned the kiss with the same gentleness, a culmination of the two years they shared: the coffee dates, shopping trips, the nights they spent staying up late to talk about anything and everything. He kissed Iori Shiro in complete silence, and he had kissed him back with equal ferocity, neither wanting to hear anything more about the future or whatever they have to do after all this is over and done with. 

Inumuta Houka had thought Iori Shiro was beautiful underneath him. The moonlight trickled through the window and illuminated the blonde’s hair, spread out over the bed sheets like a glowing river bank. Iori’s cheeks were tinted a rosy pink, and his eyes were shut as his fingers clutched at the other’s back. The taller of the two left light kisses on the other throughout the event, taking in every gasp and whimper and easing them into moans and pleased murmurs. The relative silence of the night, occupied by the quiet pants and whispers of the two boys was finally broken by Houka’s cry, followed shortly by Shiro’s. 

Upon opening his eyes a few minutes after, Iori found himself staring into Inumuta’s deep green eyes, and noticed just then how truly beautiful they were. The two were locked into the stare for a moment, unable to break their gaze as their breath caught in their throat, the realization of how much the other meant settling upon them like a heavy haze. They kissed one more time before Inumuta rolled off him and brought Iori close to his chest like he had so many times before.

XXX

Iori Shiro had heard the news: of a Middle Schooler hacking into REVOCS and getting caught. How could he not? It was all his uncle had spoken of- of how surprised he was that someone could do such a thing. Of how talented he must be. He never spoke of what happened to the boy, but Iori could figure it out himself.

He took the time to visit his previous boyfriend’s apartment that afternoon, and although he knew he should not have expected anything, he was still hit by a wave of sadness when he knocked for an hour and no one answered. He returned to the Kiryuin manor, and even Jakazure had noticed his change in demeanor as he wearily returned to his own room. Lady Satsuki had watched him go out of the corner of her eyes, and once she was done with her cup of tea, she had stood up and followed him.

“Huh- Satsuki what’cha gonna do?” Her pink-haired best friend had asked, lying down on the couch as she played with the paws of a giant teddy bear.

“I believe now is the right time to tell him”

“Wha- Oh, yeah. The school, right?”

“Indeed”

“But is it realllly a good idea? I mean, what can he really do? Clean?”

The lady of the house shook her head and smiled. “I have other plans for him. Jakazure, you have seen his needlework, yes?”

“I- I guess?”

“With a tad bit more training, he is perfect to be the President of the future Sewing Club of Honnouji Academy, don’t you think?”

“Huh- Well, with his uncle and stuff, he won’t betray us either.” She thought for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. “Satsuki, you’re a genius!”

She had simply nodded and walked up the steps to the small blonde boy’s room, The final pieces of her puzzle are finally falling. She had recruited 3 of the generals, and is on her way to recruit the final one after hearing rumours of a Northern-Kanto gang alliance led by a single middle schooler. She had managed to gain a close Queen, an unfaltering Shield, and a talented Strategist, and was about to recruit what would be the leader and producer of her weapons of rebellion. 

Iori Shiro had agreed to her terms. Inumuta Houka had wanted to live an interesting life, one atypical of that of a normal Middle Schooler and he had died in his pursuit of it. Iori wanted to carry on his legacy, so he did not falter when Satsuki had spoken to him about the truth of the school and what it’s original goal was. He shook her hand with resolve coursing through his veins, leaving behind all options for a regular life forever.

XXX

The first time Iori Shiro had met Inumuta Houka again after the latter’s ‘death’ was when he stepped into what was the Student Council room of Honnouji Academy. In the chambers was Lady Satsuki and Jakazure, of course, an extremely large tan student that looked very much like a delinquent but still had an air of dignity about him, a short boy with a shinai held across his back, almost bursting with barely held back enthusiasm, and finally, a relatively tall boy with glasses and an extremely familiar white scarf.

Iori had almost screamed the other’s name across the room when he noticed him, but controlled himself enough that the most he did was stare at the other with his mouth open the entire time. The others had noticed, of course, but did not say anything about it as Lady Satsuki called out the names of what would be the future Student Council.

“Jakazure Nonon, Leader of the Cultural Clubs”

The girl in question gave a peace sign and said something about how none of them should disappoint Lady Satsuki.

“Gamagoori Ira, Head of the Disciplinary Committee”

The tall student just gave one, noble nod.

“Sanageyama Uzu, Leader of the Sports Clubs”

The boisterous boy waved his Shinai around, almost hitting Houka in the face as he yelled out a ‘hell yeah’

“Inumuta Houka, Head of the Intelligence Department and Treasurer”

The bespectacled teenager simply adjusted his glasses and looked at Iori, giving a look to him that he recognized as a smile despite the fact his mouth was covered.

“And finally, Iori Shiro, Leader of the Honnouji Sewing Club” She clicked her heels on the floor of the meeting room, the sound ringing through everyone and forcing them to pay their attention back to the Lady. 

“I, Kiryuin Satsuki will be the President of this school, and I promise, I will lead you all to your destiny. Together, we will not be simple Pigs in Human Clothing!”

Iori Shiro and Inumuta Houka had both decided and stayed true to their fates that day. They both knew their destinies were far bigger than both had ever imagined, but they held each other’s hands tightly as Lady Satsuki continued to speak to them all. 

The first time Iori Shiro had met Inumuta Houka was in a train station. This was almost 3 years ago. Now in High School, and organizing and creating a wealth of powerful weaponry, Iori would not have believed getting lost would have led him to this. Fate works in funny ways, and the red thread of fate is among the trickiest of them all. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that Inumuta was there that day, but as the blonde stared out at the glittering, breathing, living Life Fibre that he was tasked to work with, he is beginning to believe less and less in coincidences. 

The red string of thread had bounded him and Inumuta Houka, and he would not have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Please ship Iori/Inumuta


End file.
